Global Burden of Cardiovascular Diseases

In recent years, the dominance of chronic diseases as major contributors to total global mortality has emerged and has been previously described in detail elsewhere. By 2005, the total number of cardiovascular disease (CVD) deaths (mainly coronary heart disease, stroke, and rheumatic heart disease) had increased globally to 17.5 million from 14.4 million in 1990. Of these, 7.6 million were attributed to coronary heart disease and 5.7 million to stroke. More than 80 percent of the deaths occurred in low and middle income countries (WHO, 2009e).

Based on 2007 to 2010 data, 33% of US adults ≥ 20 years of age have hypertension. This represents ~ 78 million US adults with hypertension. The prevalence of hypertension is similar for men and women. African American adults have among the highest prevalence of hypertension (44%) in the world.

Prem babies more at risk of high blood pressure

According to a new Swedish study, premature birth may create a risk for high blood pressure later in life.

High blood pressure raises the chances of heart attacks, strokes and other illnesses.

The study by scientists was based on blood pressure tests of 329,495 Swedish men born between 1973 and 1981 and drafted for military service between 1993 and 2001.

It was found in the study that the men born extremely pre-term, at less than 29 weeks, had almost twice the risk of high blood pressure, while men born very pre-term, at 29-32 weeks, had a 45 percent increased risk, and those born moderately pre-term, at 33 to 36 weeks, had a 24 percent increased risk.

According to Stefan Johansson, lead author of the study and a neonatologist at the Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm, the study identified pre-term birth as a new and very early risk factor for high blood pressure, and that risk was particularly high among young men who were born at least eight weeks early.

Johansson says the association between pre-term birth and high blood pressure was unlikely to be explained by family history or genetic factors, and it was more likely to be due to challenges faced by the premature baby.

The study is published in the current edition of the http://www.ahajournals.org/ target=“_blank”>Journal of the American Heart Association.

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